Apprentice Boys planning contentious Portadown parade TOM News 27/07/13 The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) has publicly criticised the PSNI for failing to inform the Parades Commission that a parade planned by the Portadown branch of the Apprentice Boys organisation on Saturday 10th August will clearly be contentious. In a statement issued yesterday, GRRC spokesperson, Breandan Mac Cionnaith, said: “Earlier today, the GRRC contacted the Parades Commission to alert it to the fact that a parade planned by the Portadown branch of the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABOD) on the morning of Saturday 10th August will clearly be contentious. GRRC is insisting that the Commission re-classify this parade as contentious and issue a formal determination placing route restrictions upon it. "The Parades Commission has indicated that it will meet with GRRC next Wednesday to discuss the parade and that it will also be seeking an explanation and further information from the PSNI regarding the classification of this parade as ‘non-sensitive’. “Normally, ABOD parades in Portadown take place along a route through the town centre and do not go near any contentious areas. “However, this year, the ABOD intend to divert their parade away from the town centre into Woodhouse Street before proceeding along the entire length of Park Road, which is a residential street connecting Obins Street and Garvaghy Road. “An earlier controversial plan by the Orange Order to hold a ‘religious event’ in June in the Craigavon Council-owned park adjacent to Park Road was abandoned by the Order after a local resident was granted leave by the High Court to challenge the holding of that event. “There is absolutely no justification for the ABOD parade on August 10th to take this route via Woodhouse Street and Park Road. Indeed, it is highly significant that there is no record of any parade by any unionist parading organisation ever marching along the entire length of Park Road in living memory.” The GRRC spokesperson added: “Furthermore, this current application for a parade along Park Road is being made at a time when unionist street protests have been taking place close to the main Corcrain Road/Obins Street interface in Portadown in recent weeks. A number of those protests have resulted in public disorder. “All of these facts are also known by the PSNI in Portadown who are responsible for informing the Commission if any planned parades should be considered contentious. “This is the second time in two months that the PSNI have failed to properly inform the Commission of controversial routes being planned for loyal order parades in Portadown. “We are of the view that this is not just a mere coincidence.” troopsoutmovement/latestnews.htm troopsoutmovement/latestnews.htm
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:50:22 +0000
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